Signal system.



. N0. 659,499. Patented Oct. 9, I900.

l. W. ULLMAN.

SIGNAL SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 17, 1599. (No Mo el.) 2 sheets-sheetNo.-659,499. Patented 001.. 9, I900.

- l. W. ULLMAN.

SIGNAL SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 17, 1899.) M 2 SheetsShaet TATES ISAAOW. ULLMAN,OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGNAL SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,499, dated October9, 1900.

Application filed November 17, 1899. Serial No- 737,291. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC W.ULLMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, county of New York, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signal Systems, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to alarm signal systems electrically operated; andits novelty consists in the means employed to extend the use of theordinary push-button and annunciator system until it is converted intoand made part of an alarm signal system without disturbing the normalpurpose or function of the original system and at slight expense.

Practically all hotels and many private houses are provided with theordinary pushbutton and annunciator signal system, whereby the pushingof a button in one room completes an electrical circuit connected with asource of supply of electrical energy, like a battery, actuates an alarmtinkle-bell, and drops a tablet upon an annunciator, which displays anumber corresponding to that of the room from which the signal is sent.This is a common form of device and needs no further explanation tothose skilled in the art.

To provide a hotel or private house with an automatic fire or burglarsystem has always been and continues to be expensive. It necessitatesmuch wiring, the use of many batteries, signal-gongs or similar means ofattracting attention, and some simple means of indicating the place oforigin of the alarm. In other words, it is, in effect, a separatesystem, like the push-button and annunciator system, only it is broughtinto operation by the completion of a circuit by the melting of afusible metal or the opening of a window or the like.

The purpose of my invention is to use the annunciator system and itsannunciator as an essential part of the alarm system, using in part thesame battery, so as to lessen the expense. In carrying out my purpose itis important to remember that the annunciator system, which I shallhereinafter call the pri-' mary circuit, consists of a circuit normallyopen and provided with a battery and an annunciator, and that there is asecondary circuit used to signal back from the annunciator to the placeof origin of the original alarm and fed from a separate battery. To thisI add an auxiliary circuit, deriving its energy from the same battery asthe primary circuit, containing an alarm-gong in the circuit, and whichauxiliary circuit is normally open. To this, again, I add what I callthe alarm -circuit. This circuit derives its energy from a thirdbattery, is provided with an electromagnet, and is normally closed. Thearmature of the electromagnet is so arranged, however, with reference'tothe conductors of the auxiliary circuit that when the alarm circuit isopened part of the conductor of the auxiliary circuit is attracted fromits normal position, so as to close the auxiliary circuit, actuate thealarm-gong in the auxiliary circuit by closing the primary circuit, anddrop the tablet in the annunciator, so as to indicate the place oforigin of the alarm. In order to open the alarm-circuit, (supposing thedevice to be used as a firealarm,) I make that portion of thealarm-circuit designed to guard the room or other 10- cality ofreadily-fusible metal, running it, for instance, around the room withinthe picturemolding or over the sash-frames and doors. By such means ifthe heat in the room as the result of a fire becomes sufficiently great,to melt the metallic conductor its continuity is broken and thealarm-circuit is broken, the tablet in the annunciator drops, and thegong rings, calling attention to the disaster. In a similar manner aportion ofthe conductor may be so arrangedfor instance, over awindow-sash framethat by moving the window by the raising of the sashthe circuit is broken, as before, and the alarm is sounded.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a diagram of a simple electricalcircuit normally open and closed by a push-button. Fig. 2 represents theprimary and secondary circuits, the latter being shown in dottedoutlinesand the portion 19 being common to both circuits. Fig. 3 representsthese same two circuits as shown in Fig. 2, with the addition of theauxiliary circuit (shown in dotted outlines, with the exception'of thepart a, common to the primary and secondary circuits, and that betweenthe annunciator and its bell common to the primary) and thealarm-circuit, (shown in full line, with the exception of the part 61?,which is common to the auxiliary circuit, the part a, which is common tothe several circuits of the system, and the part a which is common tothe primary and secondary circuits.) Fig. 4 represents a plurality ofcircuits, such as are represented singly in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail view of the electromagnet and its connections.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a diagram of a simple electricalcircuitwhich is normally open and in which 19 is the conductor, f is thebattery, 6 is a push-button, of usual form, for closing the circuit, andbis a bell caused to ring by the completion of the circuit in the usualmanner. In Fig. 2 I represent, essentially, the same circuit in dottedoutline, but show the addition of an annunciatorcircuit. (Shown in partin unbroken line.) In this figure c is the annunciator of common form,dis one of the drops of the same, y is one battery and a; is another,and e a push-button. The portion p of the conductor is common to bothsystems. This is known in the trade as a return-call system. If thepush-button e is closed, thebell 1) rings by the closing of the circuitthroughthe battery as and continues to ring so long as the push-button eis closed. If now the push-button e is closed, the return-circuit, withthe annunciator, becomes operative through the battery y, and a signalis thus returned to the point of origin of the first call.

In Fig. 3 everythingis shown which is illustrated in Fig. 2, with theaddition of an auxiliary circuit and an alarm-circuit. The auxiliarycircuit is normally open and consists of the conductor a, (shown indotted outline,) the conductor a, which forms part of all theannunciator-circuits, the conductor 13', and that part of theannunciator-circuit between the annunciator c and the bell b. It alsocontains the gong g, and the armatn ref, and is fed from the battery y.r

The alarm-circuit consists of the conductor 5, shown in full line, withthe addition of the section a of the auxiliary circuit and the sectiona, which is common to all of the circuits, and the section a which iscommon to the primary and secondary circuits.

The electromagnet f is mounted in any suitable frame, and near it isasuitably-supported contact post h. The armature f forming part of theauxiliary circuit, the said circuit is kept open as long asthe armatureis attracted toward the magnets by the energizing of the latter. Suchenergizing continues so long as the alarm-circuit, of which i theconductor 3 and the battery .2 forms a part, is closed. Therefore if thealarm-circuit is broken the magnets are denergized, the retraction ofthe spring f, which forms a part of the armature f, moves the lattertoward the contact-post h, and the auxiliary circuit is thereby closed.This causes the gong g to ring and the annunciator-drop d to fall andits tinkle-bell b to ring.

To recapitulate, in the systems shown in Fig. 3 I have the secondarycircuit normally open. If new the push-button e is operated, thiscircuit is closed and the bell 1) rings. The signal so given may beanswered by pushing the button a, in which case the annunciator-drop dfalls and its bell 1) rings, being actuated by the battery y in thereturn-circuit. If, however, the secondary circuit be closed in anyother manner than by the operation of the push-button, the same signalis given.

The purpose of the auxiliary circuit is to effect such closing and tomake an alarm. This circuit consists in part of the primary circuit, inpart of the secondary circuit, and contains the gong g to give the alarmand the annunciator c to tell the place of origin of the alarm. To closethis auxiliary circuit, the means employed is the opening of thealarm-circuit, which by the deenergizing of magnets f releases thearmature f to contact with the post h. Therefore in order that the alarmmay be sounded it is necessary that the alarm-circuit shall be openedwhen the emergency to be guarded against arises.

The means employed to efiiect this purpose is to make that portion ofthe conductor which passes the room or locality to be guarded ofreadily-fusible metal, which by its being melted in case of fire opensthe alarm-circuit and closes the auxiliary circuit, sounding the alarmand indicatingits source. This is accomplished because that part of theprimary circuit which contains the bell b and annunciator 0 forms partof the path of this circuit, which is thus closed. The gong g ringsbecause it is in the main line of the circuit.

The purpose of the gong is to indicate an alarm of a different characterfrom the nor-' mal call. Without the gong the ringing of the tiukle-bellI) would indicate nothing unusual. It is obvious that the gong g shouldbe a single-stroke gong in' contrast to the tinkle-bell b, which is avibratory bell.

In Fig.4 a plurality of circuits is represented. In such case the samealarm-gong is used for all the circuits and, as will be seen from aninspection of the diagram, the same number of batteries is used as inthe system shown in Fig. 3. Likewise the button-battery conductor, thebell-battery conductor, and the alarm-battery conductor are common toall the circuits, and the only independent conductors necessary areconductors from the rooms to the annunciator.

An important advantage of my device is I that if the battery 2 becomesexhausted the deenergizing of the magnets f causes the closing of theauxiliary circuits,thereby causing the alarm-gong g and the tinkle-bellb to ring, and thus automatically indicating the the circuit of saidsystem being normally open, of means for automatically soundingaseparate alarm from the bells of the annunciator and closing .thecircuit through the annunciator, embodying a normally-open auxiliarycircuit formed partly by the annunciator-circuit and including saidseparate alarmbell, and a normally-closed alarm-circuit having a magnetwhich breaks said auxiliary circuit when the alarm circuit is closed andcloses said auxiliary and annunciator circuits when the alarm-circuit isbroken, said alarmcircuit also including means operating automaticallyto open it and thereby close the auxiliary and annunciator circuits, incertain events, as and for the purposes specified.

2. In an electrical alarm system, the combination with normally-openprimary and secondary circuits, constituting a return call annunciatorsystem, said primary circuit including an alarm and a manually-operatedcircuit-closer, and said secondary circuit including an annunciator,analarm and a manually-operated switch, of a means for automaticallyoperating the annunciator and sounding a separate alarm-bell, comprisinga normally-open auxiliary circuit, formed partly by said primary andsecondary circuits and including said separate alarm-bell, and anormally-closed alarm-circuit including a magnet so related to theauxiliary circuit as to open the latter when the alarm-circuit is closedand close the same when the alarm-circuit is open, and saidalarm-circuit also having fusible sections acting automatically to openit, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

3. The herein-described electrical alarm system, consisting of anormally-open primary circuit, includinga bell and a manuallyoperatedcircuit-closer, a normally-open secondary circuit, including anannunciator, a bell and a manually-operated circuit-closer, each of saidcircuits having a battery and both circuits constituting a return-callannunciator system, and means for automatically closing the circuitthrough the annunciator, embodying a normally-open auxiliary circuitderiving its energy from the battery of the primary circuit andincluding an alarmbell separate from those of the other circuits, and analarm-circuit, including a battery and fusible sections, saidalarm-circuit being nor mally closed and having an electromagnet sorelated to the auxiliary circuit as to open the same when thealarm-circuit is closed and to close the same when the alarm-circuit isopen, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination with a primary circuit provided with a battery, andcontaining an annunciator and tinkle-bell in circuit, a secondarycircuit provided with a battery and bell, an auxiliary circuit providedwith a gong in circuit and fed from the battery of the primary circuitand means for breaking the auxiliary circuit consisting of analarm-circuit provided with a battery, whereby when the battery of thealarm-circuit is exhausted the gong of the auxiliary circuit will ring.

Witness my hand this 4th day of November, 1899, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ISAAC W. ULLMAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. ABBOTT, MABEL K. WHITMAN.

